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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · key · root · straw · land · leaves · game · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. land — to come down
  3. key — in music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — to grow
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. key — the most important part
  13. root — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com